Published: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 9:18 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 9:18 p.m.

A little more than three years ago, a 95-pound pit bull named Shank left one of his teeth in an animal control officer's arm.

Shank knocked 63-year-old officer Joe Lamartina to the ground and mauled him, “chewing” his stomach and biting his arm, police said at the time.

In her five years at the Lafourche Parish Animal Shelter, manager Kelli Toups said Shank was the only dog there that the state ordered to be killed.

There have been several dogs in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes that have been declared dangerous after violent attacks. And while local sheriffs' offices have sometimes requested dogs be put to death, it's far more common for owners to make those decisions themselves, according to managers at the parish shelters.

After a violent attack, dogs are held at a shelter for a period of time, but if the owners don't pick them up, they must be put down because the shelters can't adopt out aggressive animals.

“A lot of times owners who have dogs that are very aggressive, they relinquish them to the shelter willingly because they're afraid of the dog reacting aggressively in a situation and injuring someone or someone's pet,” Terrebonne shelter manager Valerie Robinson said.

No dog has ever been ordered to death in Terrebonne, Robinson said.

Changes adopted to Terrebonne Parish ordinances in late 2011 allow an administrative panel to hear cases involving dog attacks, rather than the courts.

“That allows us to convene the panel and both sides, including the victims and the owners,” to decide if a dog is “dangerous,” meaning it should be housed under certain restrictions, Robinson said. The change has sped up the process. If the panel decides a dog is not dangerous, then the dog can leave the shelter sooner.

“We're making a lot of headway with regard to animal control,” Robinson said.

In Lafourche Parish, Blitz came close to being euthanized after he attacked a child in 2010. He is now considered a “dangerous dog.”

The mixed Labrador used to belong to Kriss Uggen and his grandfather Donald Uggen before he attacked a 4-year-old relative of theirs one Thanksgiving.

Blitz now lives with Kriss' mother, a compromise made by the family and approved by a Lafourche Parish judge after the Sheriff's Office requested the dog be euthanized. “Dangerous dog” signs must be displayed outside her home, and Blitz can't go outside unless he's in a secure enclosure, according to court documents.

The now 7-year-old child survived the attack, though Donald Uggen and his grandson said he has scars that mark the three gashes he received on his forehead, below his nose and below his mouth — gashes that were all as big as his then 4-year-old nose, court photographs show.

The wounds are the result of Blitz taking the boy's face in his jaws without warning and shaking him “like a stuffed animal,” said Kriss, who added he was horrified by the attack.

That day, the boy's parents were in the kitchen cooking while Kriss, his grandfather and the child were in the living room. The child was on the floor, playing with the dog. The boy may have had pizza on his face, Kriss recalled, and Blitz may have just thought the child was a chew toy.

For a split second, everyone froze in shock, but then everyone began to react, Kriss said. They rushed the boy across the street to their neighbor, a nurse, and the boy was taken to the hospital.

The attack was completely out of character for a dog that had spent time around children before, Donald Uggen said.

“He's never bit anybody before, and he's never bit anybody since,” he said.

Although it may be a difficult rule to enforce in practice, big dogs should not be around children, said Lafourche Parish animal control Officer Kellie Breaux.

“Kids don't understand that you can't roughhouse with animals. ... You never know what triggers dogs. They want to protect their family and their property,” Breaux said.

Robinson said parents should teach their children not to approach a strange dog, and Breaux said children should not approach a dog until they know its temperament.

Dogs more likely to attack if they're stiff and upright, staring you down with their ears erect.

Dogs that are scared crouch with their tails tucked between their legs, and “dogs that are fearful are just as likely, if not more likely, to bite a human,” Robinson said.

Though she receives her orders from the Sheriff's Office of Animal Control and the courts, the general rule is that animals are kept at the shelter for 10 days if they commit an attack that breaks the skin, Lafourche Parish animal shelter manager Kelli Toups said. Then the owner can come back and pick up their pet, which happens about 75 percent of the time.

But, “if the owner does not want their dog back, they have to come back and have their dog euthanized because we cannot put a bite case up for adoption,” she said.

However, if an animal comes in three times, it's supposed to be flagged by the Sheriff's Office and put to death, she said.

Though Shank and Oreo — another Lafourche Parish dog almost put to death for an attack — were pit bulls, Toups said she sees all kinds of dogs come in after reported attacks.

“We've seen little Chihuahuas come in as bite cases,” she said.

Oreo allegedly attacked a 15-year-old boy while tied up in the yard, then later attacked an 11-year-old bicyclist, court documents show. Both boys were taken to the hospital.

In the first case, after officers explained that the boy and his mother could request that the dog be taken to the shelter, the mother said “she and her son spoke about the situation and they did not want the animal picked up. ... The reason she came to this decision is because her son plays there all the time, and the dog has never attacked anyone before,” the police report reads.

Nearly exactly five months later, Oreo attacked the 11-year-old when other children were throwing rocks at the dog, the police report says. His legs and arm were punctured, and his chest was scratched.

“Any dog on its own property is going to protect its property,” Toups said. “If it's a female dog that has puppies, she's going to protect her puppies, or if the dog feels threatened, the dog's going to lash out. It also depends on the way that you raise the animal. If you're going to raise the animal to be very aggressive, it's going to be aggressive at any time.”

<p>A little more than three years ago, a 95-pound pit bull named Shank left one of his teeth in an animal control officer's arm.</p><p>Shank knocked 63-year-old officer Joe Lamartina to the ground and mauled him, “chewing” his stomach and biting his arm, police said at the time.</p><p>In her five years at the Lafourche Parish Animal Shelter, manager Kelli Toups said Shank was the only dog there that the state ordered to be killed.</p><p>There have been several dogs in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes that have been declared dangerous after violent attacks. And while local sheriffs' offices have sometimes requested dogs be put to death, it's far more common for owners to make those decisions themselves, according to managers at the parish shelters. </p><p>After a violent attack, dogs are held at a shelter for a period of time, but if the owners don't pick them up, they must be put down because the shelters can't adopt out aggressive animals.</p><p>“A lot of times owners who have dogs that are very aggressive, they relinquish them to the shelter willingly because they're afraid of the dog reacting aggressively in a situation and injuring someone or someone's pet,” Terrebonne shelter manager Valerie Robinson said.</p><p>No dog has ever been ordered to death in Terrebonne, Robinson said.</p><p>Changes adopted to Terrebonne Parish ordinances in late 2011 allow an administrative panel to hear cases involving dog attacks, rather than the courts. </p><p>“That allows us to convene the panel and both sides, including the victims and the owners,” to decide if a dog is “dangerous,” meaning it should be housed under certain restrictions, Robinson said. The change has sped up the process. If the panel decides a dog is not dangerous, then the dog can leave the shelter sooner.</p><p>“We're making a lot of headway with regard to animal control,” Robinson said.</p><p>In Lafourche Parish, Blitz came close to being euthanized after he attacked a child in 2010. He is now considered a “dangerous dog.”</p><p>The mixed Labrador used to belong to Kriss Uggen and his grandfather Donald Uggen before he attacked a 4-year-old relative of theirs one Thanksgiving.</p><p>Blitz now lives with Kriss' mother, a compromise made by the family and approved by a Lafourche Parish judge after the Sheriff's Office requested the dog be euthanized. “Dangerous dog” signs must be displayed outside her home, and Blitz can't go outside unless he's in a secure enclosure, according to court documents.</p><p>The now 7-year-old child survived the attack, though Donald Uggen and his grandson said he has scars that mark the three gashes he received on his forehead, below his nose and below his mouth — gashes that were all as big as his then 4-year-old nose, court photographs show.</p><p>The wounds are the result of Blitz taking the boy's face in his jaws without warning and shaking him “like a stuffed animal,” said Kriss, who added he was horrified by the attack.</p><p>That day, the boy's parents were in the kitchen cooking while Kriss, his grandfather and the child were in the living room. The child was on the floor, playing with the dog. The boy may have had pizza on his face, Kriss recalled, and Blitz may have just thought the child was a chew toy.</p><p>For a split second, everyone froze in shock, but then everyone began to react, Kriss said. They rushed the boy across the street to their neighbor, a nurse, and the boy was taken to the hospital. </p><p>The attack was completely out of character for a dog that had spent time around children before, Donald Uggen said. </p><p>“He's never bit anybody before, and he's never bit anybody since,” he said.</p><p>Although it may be a difficult rule to enforce in practice, big dogs should not be around children, said Lafourche Parish animal control Officer Kellie Breaux.</p><p>“Kids don't understand that you can't roughhouse with animals. ... You never know what triggers dogs. They want to protect their family and their property,” Breaux said. </p><p>Robinson said parents should teach their children not to approach a strange dog, and Breaux said children should not approach a dog until they know its temperament.</p><p>If you're walking your big dog, avoid the paths of dogs acting aggressively, Robinson said.</p><p>Also, getting dogs spayed or neutered does “tend to help the aggressiveness,” Robinson said. “It has a lot of benefits.”</p><p>The Terrebonne Parish ordinance requires dangerous dogs to be spayed or neutered.</p><p>Both Breaux and Robinson said they encourage everyone to do his or her research and understand how to read a dog's body language.</p><p>“A wagging tail does not always indicate a friendly dog,” Robinson said.</p><p>Dogs more likely to attack if they're stiff and upright, staring you down with their ears erect.</p><p>Dogs that are scared crouch with their tails tucked between their legs, and “dogs that are fearful are just as likely, if not more likely, to bite a human,” Robinson said.</p><p>Though she receives her orders from the Sheriff's Office of Animal Control and the courts, the general rule is that animals are kept at the shelter for 10 days if they commit an attack that breaks the skin, Lafourche Parish animal shelter manager Kelli Toups said. Then the owner can come back and pick up their pet, which happens about 75 percent of the time.</p><p>But, “if the owner does not want their dog back, they have to come back and have their dog euthanized because we cannot put a bite case up for adoption,” she said.</p><p>However, if an animal comes in three times, it's supposed to be flagged by the Sheriff's Office and put to death, she said.</p><p>Though Shank and Oreo — another Lafourche Parish dog almost put to death for an attack — were pit bulls, Toups said she sees all kinds of dogs come in after reported attacks.</p><p>“We've seen little Chihuahuas come in as bite cases,” she said.</p><p>Oreo allegedly attacked a 15-year-old boy while tied up in the yard, then later attacked an 11-year-old bicyclist, court documents show. Both boys were taken to the hospital.</p><p>In the first case, after officers explained that the boy and his mother could request that the dog be taken to the shelter, the mother said “she and her son spoke about the situation and they did not want the animal picked up. ... The reason she came to this decision is because her son plays there all the time, and the dog has never attacked anyone before,” the police report reads.</p><p>Nearly exactly five months later, Oreo attacked the 11-year-old when other children were throwing rocks at the dog, the police report says. His legs and arm were punctured, and his chest was scratched.</p><p>“Any dog on its own property is going to protect its property,” Toups said. “If it's a female dog that has puppies, she's going to protect her puppies, or if the dog feels threatened, the dog's going to lash out. It also depends on the way that you raise the animal. If you're going to raise the animal to be very aggressive, it's going to be aggressive at any time.”</p>